It’s funny what we pass on to our kids, and I say that sitting at the computer eating cold chicken fried rice out of a Chinese take out container.
For breakfast.
I remember walking in the kitchen as a kid and seeing my dad lean against the counter in his bathrobe with the little white take out box in one hand and a fork in the other scarfing down cold fried rice or chow mein. I thought it was horrible that he did that. Gross.
But anytime we have Chinese take out you can find me eating cold fried rice out of the carton the next day. Heredity.
It causes me to wonder what bothersome traits I may pass on to K… I don’t have to search too hard to see ways in which she has already taken after me… she has my imagination.
That can be a beautiful thing, and as I watch her play with dolls or just a piece of paper and hear her whispering secrets to the world she’s created I’m proud of her. When she sits on a chair swinging her legs loudly singing lyrics she’s made up on the spot I glow with pride. When she dictates a poem to me in hopes I’ll write it down for her I marvel at her innovation and when she writes and illustrates a fantastic story with nothing more than a pencil and a pad of post it notes I am awestruck…
But all that greatness, it comes at a price. With all the beautiful wanderings of her mind come the maudlin cries of a girl whose mind can reach the farthest, darkest corners of this universe… and then venture a little further. Her nightmares and scary imaginings are every bit as vibrant as her dreams and stay with her just as long…
I’ve explained to her, and I think she understands, that with the good there is often some bad. Things have a way of balancing themselves out. That it’s hard to grasp happiness when you haven’t known sorrow. Fearlessness without Fear. Day with out Night…
I’m glad she has such an active imagination, such a creative mind… but sometimes I wish she’d just pick up a carton of cold fried rice instead…
CamiKaos 
I don’t get it.
I’m sure in a shorter time then you realize, she’ll be standing right next to you with a fork, and you two will be fighting over that rice.
My kids do that too Cami. Especially Miss E. It’s so hard sometimes, but like you I’d rather they had imagination than not. Mr b had left over Indian for breakfast yesterday. Yum.
nothing better than restaurant leftovers for breakfast. It always makes me happy. And imagination is a wonderful thing, but I agree, at times, it can be a curse
I could go into a long list of ‘regular’ things I picked up from my parents but one is a surprise.My Dad always patted my Mom on the ass. They were always affectionate people but my Dad would pat my Mom on the butt when he walked by her. I do this with Stephanie, (in my best group therapy voice) “My name is Stu, I am an ass patter”.-Stu
mine doesn’t yet like avocados. must have been a switch at the hospital. and she is fashion conscious…okay there really was a switch at the hospital. dang dang dang!
(but just to be clear – i’m going to keep her. i think i can live with her differences. she’s cute.)
I’m pretty sure my son’s wildly dramatic emotional breakdowns are inherited from me, it’s just that I had parents who put a quick kibosh on hysterics.Maybe I should have embraced spanking after all…[KIDDING]Sweet observations, Cami
awesome! made me think of so many things my knucklehead does!and i know i’ve been scarce- but i tagged you anyway…